PARTI Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu vice president Abdul Karim Hamzah said Gabungan Parti Sarawak “in all probability” will not work with DAP in forming the next federal government should the 15th general election end with a hung parliament.

He added, it would also rule out working with the Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition if DAP was still a component party.

How PH, particularly DAP treated Sarawak, in the 22 months they were in power after winning the 2018 general election still rankles, Karim said when asked to elaborate on Premier Abang Johari Openg’s admission yesterday that there are already approaches made by political blocs in the peninsular seeking GPS’ support in forming the next federal government.

GPS secretary-general, Alexander Nanta Linggi, today, had said the coalition will wait until after the election who it wants to cooperate with.

Karim, the state’s Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, said since the four-party GPS was in power in Sarawak, they thought PH would try to work with the state.

He said GPS was not only merely treated as an opposition, Sarawak was mistreated to the point that many projects that were approved in the 2018 budget were cancelled.

They range from minor rural projects approved to elected GPS MPs to billion ringgit projects like the five bridges on the state’s 900km coastal road network the defeated BN government had agreed to fund.

“We still remember all those things,” Karim said.

Prior to the PH government’s collapse in February 2020 as a result of its MPs defecting to other parties, its leaders then frantically tried to talk GPS with its 19 seats to shore up the collapsing government.

It was GPS’ turn to snub them leaving them triggering the inevitable collapse.

GPS had said they could work with PKR and Amanah, the two other parties in PH, but not DAP.

GPS instead opted to work with the newly formed Perikatan Nasional coalition to install Muhyiddin Yassin as the successor to the outgoing prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Karim said that the 15th GE could similarly go the same way as the 14th, with no one coalition able to form the government on their own.

“The probability is high.”

He said GPS is open to working with all parties, including the Barisan Nasional led by Umno.

“We are close to all the parties except PH.”

Karim reiterated GPS will again be the kingmaker after this general election as he said the four-party ruling coalition, PBB, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), the Sarawak United People’s Party (Supp) and the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), “will have a landslide win”.

He had earlier said GPS would win 28 of the 31 parliamentary seats.

“GPS will be one of those that will help to ensure that the new government will be a stable government.”

On working with Umno, Karim said it does not mean GPS is in cohorts with those trying to help the so-called court clusters, Umno leaders facing corruption charges, like its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“People shouldn’t see Umno as a dirty party,” he said.

He added that all major parties in the peninsular have leaders who have been convicted or are facing corruption charges and if corruption is to be used as a yardstick, then there will be no party good enough to work with. – October 19, 2022.